AFRICA - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

152
French priest (see Section 1.b.). Some 9,000 persons who had fled the fighting were
in refugee camps outside Brazzaville at year’s end.
There continued to be occasional deaths due to mob violence, as civilians took vigilante
action against presumed criminals, or as individuals settled private disputes;
however, police at times intervened to stop such action. For example, in November
in a northern village a Rwandan refugee burned to death a Congolese woman as
a result of a dispute. The Rwandan turned himself in to police to avoid mob action.
Some villagers attacked and looted a Rwandan neighborhood. No action was taken
against most of the persons who participated in mob violence. Some of the villagers
were arrested; however, they subsequently were released.
b. Disappearance.—In March, following an attack by Nsiloulou Ninja’s militia on
the railroad, the army began a campaign in the Pool region to suppress the militia.
In July there were reports that at least 20 young men suspected of supporting the
antigovernment Nsiloulou militia were arrested and taken away (see Section 5).
Their whereabouts were unknown at year’s end.
In August 2001, the Government appointed a special commission of the National
Transitional Council (CNT) to investigate allegations that 353 young men who took
refuge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1999 were separated from
their families by security forces upon returning to Brazzaville in May 1999, and subsequently
disappeared. The commission’s report, which was to include other disappearances
due to civil hostilities since 1993, was given to the Ministry of Justice
in August shortly before the CNT was dissolved and the newly elected parliament
was installed. The report was not made public by year’s end. In December 2001,
families of the disappeared filed suit in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in
Brussels accusing members of the Government, including President Sassou, of
crimes against humanity. During the year, a French court began an investigation
into the case. General Norbert Dabira, Inspector General and Logistics Chief of the
Army, appeared before the court and denied involvement. In October the French
court questioned Gerard Bitsindou, a former minister. The Government objected to
his continued involvement in the court proceeding on the grounds that the court
lacked jurisdiction. In December the Government filed suit in the ICJ to prevent
French courts from exercising jurisdiction over members of President Sassou’s government.
The ICJ ruled that the court would not have jurisdiction until it received
France’s consent.
The rebel Nsiloulou militia kidnaped a French priest and an army officer. The
priest was later found dead and most observers believed followers of Frederic
Bitsangou, also known as Pastor Ntoumi, killed him. On December 4, a group of
armed men identified by the Government as Nsiloulou militia members kidnaped
two employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They were
released unharmed by year’s end.
c. Torture and other Cruel and Inhuman Treatment or Punishment.—The Constitution
prohibits acts of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; however,
in practice security forces sometimes used beatings to coerce confessions or to
punish detainees. There were reports that female detainees were raped. Some members
of the security forces beat citizens and looted their homes (see Section 1.f.), and
frequently extorted money and cellphones from travelers at checkpoints (see Section
2.d.). No action was taken against responsible personnel by year’s end.
There were reports that undisciplined government forces committed abuses such
as summary executions, rape, looting, and other violent acts, primarily in the Pool
region but also in Brazzaville. In the Pool region, the Government forces reportedly
included Angolan soldiers and mercenaries of Rwandan origin who severely mistreated
the local population.
During negotiations in April for the surrender of Ninja militia members in
Brazzaville, shots were fired in some southern neighborhoods of Brazzaville, which
caused the residents of the area to panic and flee. Some army and police forces, who
were in the area to ensure security during the surrender negotiations, robbed, beat,
and in some cases raped the fleeing citizens. Subsequently, drunken soldiers threatened
to kill an international humanitarian worker who refused to surrender her
cellphone. After 2 days, during which homes and stores were looted, the soldiers
were replaced with more disciplined troops; however, no action was taken against
the responsible soldiers by year’s end.
In June the Nsiloulou Ninja militia supporters of Pasteur Ntoumi, attacked the
Brazzaville airport. Government forces fought the attackers, which caused residents
of nearby neighborhoods to flee. Government soldiers again robbed and abused the
fleeing citizens. Authorities responded forcefully by identifying and dismissing certain
police officers and soldiers and returning stolen goods to the owners.
VerDate 11-MAY-2000 08:43 Jul 22, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00182 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 86917.004 SFRELA2 PsN: SFRELA2